Friday, 11 September 2015

A Festival of English Organ Music Volume 2: Salisbury Cathedral

It is good to hear some lesser-known
organ transcriptions of Elgar’s music. Volume 1 (MDG 316 1836-2) of this
‘Festival’ presented Nimrod from the Enigma
Variations as well has the superb Organ Sonata No. 1, op.28. The present CD opens with the Imperial March which
was written in 1897 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Queen
Victoria’s accession. It has never quite caught on like the P&C marches,
however this is a work ideally suited to the organ. The ‘big’ tune is
calculated to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. It was arranged for
organ in the same year by George Clement Martin who was at that time organist
of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The two pieces of salon music,
‘Chanson de Matin’ and ‘Chanson de Nuit’ have been ‘dished up’ in many versions
by the composer and others. ‘Charming’, ‘nostalgic’ and ‘well-constructed’ are
suitable adjectives for these pieces. And they work well on the organ. Little
need be said about the CD’s concluding work, which is one of Elgar’s most
popular works. Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 in D major was composed in 1901
and arranged the following year by organist and composer Edwin Henry Lemare. It
makes a fine and rumbustious conclusion to this exciting exploration of English
music.

The first piece of music by
Alfred Hollins that I ever heard was the present Song of Sunshine: it has remained a favourite ever since. In spite
of it being ‘light-hearted,’ this is a well-crafted little piece that nods
towards the cinema organ rather than the cathedral. Beautifully played here.

The Chorale with Variations in E flat
major by Henry Thomas Smart is an interesting piece of Victorian organ music
that defies the old idea that music from this period is all ‘grind and scrape.’
Smart displays considerable skill and invention in the working out of his
variations and presents music that holds the attention and moves the
listener. It is a good balance between
head and heart.

Hubert Parry’s Fantasia and Fugue
in G, op.188 is an impressive work by any standards. Originally composed in
1877 the ‘fantasia’ section was rewritten five years later. Finally, in 1912 he
provided a new fugue. The work reflects a number of musical exemplars including
Bach, Brahms and Reger. The opening fantasia has an improvisatory character with
a splendid climax. The fugue is beautifully contrived with the running
semiquavers giving movement whilst the last pages refer back to the fantasia. Gwilym
Beechey has describes this work as one of the ‘finest pieces of English organ
music of the 20th century.’ The Fantasia and Fugue in G was
dedicated to Sir Walter Parratt. The
work, which is technically difficult, is given a great performance here.

The Larghetto in F sharp minor is
the second of ‘Three Pieces for chamber organ’ written by Samuel Sebastian
Wesley for the ‘house organ’ of Lady Acland of Killerton (near Exeter, Devon) It is a introverted little piece based on
variation that is sometimes quite nocturnal in mood.

John Ireland is not normally
associated with organ music, yet he was an organist for much of his life and
composed a small number of pieces, largely between 1902 and 1922 during his
time at St Luke’s Church, Chelsea. The present Capriccio is (in my opinion) a
miniature masterpiece. A lively little piece that is ‘light’ and ‘whimsical’ in
character with a huge variety of registration. This is one of my favourite
pieces of English organ music: it deserves to be better known.

Frank Bridge’s Adagio in E major
is a beautiful piece: it is probably the composer’s best-known organ work.
Opening fugally, the music slowly builds up to a considerable climax. The music
dies down to a whisper with a reminiscence of the main theme. This is
deeply-felt heart-breaking music that exudes the mood of a passing Edwardian
‘summer’. It was composed in 1905.

There are two sets of Psalm Tune
Preludes by Herbert Howells: the first was composed during 1915-16 and the
second just before the outbreak of the Second-World War. The third Prelude of
the second set was dedicated to Percy C, Hull who was then organist at Hereford
Cathedral. It is a big, powerful piece full of energy and dynamic rhythm. The Prelude takes takes it mood from the
words of Psalm 33, verse 3 ‘Sing unto him a new song: play skilfully with a
loud noise.’ Certainly this work achieves that aim.

Minor drop-offs in the liner
notes and listings include a reference to Sir Alfred Brewer, better known as
Herbert and that Edward Elgar was born in 1857 not 1844, and died in 1934 not
1925. But these apart, the text written
by van Oosten is extremely helpful. Short biographies of the composers compliment
succinct programme notes for each work. There is the all-essential
specification of the organ as well as a short history.

Combine the fantastic sound of
the excellent ‘Father’ Willis organ installed in 1876-7 and the performance
skills of Ben van Oosten and you create definite winner. Add to that a wisely
chosen repertoire of English organ music and you have a must-buy CD.I tend to think of van Oosten in terms of his
cycles of organ music by Vierne, Widor, Dupré and Guilmant, so to have a CD
that includes a wide exploration of English music is of considerable interest.
There is no doubt that he has excelled him with this present recording.

About Me

I am well over fifty years old: the end of the run of baby boomers! I was born in Glasgow, moving south to York in the late ‘seventies. I now work in London.
My main interest is British Music from the nineteenth century onwards.
I love the ‘arch-typical’ English countryside – and have always wanted to ‘Go West, Boy’.
A. E. Housman and the ‘Georgian’ poets are a huge influence on my aesthetic. I have spent much of my life looking for the ‘Land of Lost Content’ and only occasionally glimpsed it…somewhere in…???
My recently published work includes essays on Ivor Gurney’s song ‘On Wenlock Edge’ for the Gurney Society Journal, The Music of Marion Scott and a study of Janet Hamilton’s songs for the British Music Society Journal, and the composer Muriel Herbert for the Housman Society.
I have contributed to the journals of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, the Finzi Society, and the Bliss Society, the Berkeley Society, the BMS Newsletter and regular CD reviews for MusicWeb International.